Methods and systems for optimization of economic value from asset sets

Abstract

Methods and systems for optimizing economic value from a assets are disclosed. Operations, including use and maintenance, are performed on the assets, where operations are determined from settings. The desired settings are those that result in the assets producing optimal economic value. To determine desirable settings, dynamic performance measures of economic performance data are prioritized. A process is then performed, starting with the highest-priority measure. The process includes collecting operational performance data as operations are performed and calculating economic performance data therefrom. The process also includes determining the desired settings for each measure by identifying the optimal value for the measure over a period of time and identifying the set of settings that produced the optimal value. The process is repeated for each successive measure, with sets of settings that do not result in substantial change in the value of any higher-priority measure from its identified optimal value.

1 . A method of determining, for a set of assets on which operations are performed, settings for the operations that result in the assets producing optimal economic value, where operations include use of the assets and maintenance performed on the assets, and the settings and operations change over time, the method comprising: 
 prioritizing dynamic performance measures, where dynamic performance measures comprise economic performance data;    performing, during a time period, a process that includes: 
 collecting and storing, as operations are performed on the assets, operational performance data about the assets and the settings that produced the data;  
 calculating and storing, in real-time, economic performance data from the collected operational data; and  
 determining, for the highest-priority dynamic performance measure, those settings that will result in optimal economic value from the assets for that measure, by identifying the optimal value for the measure over a period of time and identifying the set of settings that produced the optimal value during that period of time; and  
   determining, for each of a plurality of successive dynamic performance measures in order of decreasing priority, the settings that will result in optimal economic value from the assets for each measure, by repeating the above process with sets of settings that do not result in a substantial change in the value of any higher-priority measure from its identified optimal value.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 setting initial settings for the operations, where the initial settings are the settings determined according to the process, and the process has been repeated for the plurality of successive measures;    displaying at least one of the dynamic performance measures in real-time; and    determining if changes made to the initial settings result in further optimal economic value being derived from the assets, by: 
 changing at least one of the initial settings;  
 viewing the displayed measure over time to learn if the at least one changed setting has positively impact the measure; and  
 if there is a positive impact on the measure, maintaining the at least one changed setting, and if not, returning the at least one changed setting to its initial setting.  
   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 repeating the process for the highest-priority dynamic performance measure and the plurality of successive measures to determine further settings;    comparing the further settings to the current settings to determine any differences between the current settings and the further settings; and    changing the current settings to the further settings if there are differences.    
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein storing occurs in a process historian.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the process historian is part of a process control system, and collecting and calculating occur within the process control system.  
     
     
         6 . A computer system configured to determine, for a set of assets on which operations are performed, settings for the operations that result in the assets producing optimal economic value, where operations include use of the assets and maintenance performed on the assets, and the settings and operations change over time, the computer system configured to: 
 prioritize dynamic performance measures, where dynamic performance measures comprise economic performance data;    perform, during a time period, a process that includes: 
 collecting and storing, as operations are performed on the assets, operational performance data about the assets and the settings that produced the data;  
 calculating and storing, in real-time, economic performance data from the collected operational data; and  
 determining, for the highest-priority dynamic performance measure, those settings that will result in optimal economic value from the assets for that measure, by identifying the optimal value for the measure over a period of time and identifying the set of settings that produced the optimal value during that period of time; and  
   determine, for each of a plurality of successive dynamic performance measures in order of decreasing priority, the settings that will result in optimal economic value from the assets for each measure, by repeating the above process with sets of settings that do not result in a substantial change in the value of any higher-priority measure from its identified optimal value.    
     
     
         7 . The computer system according to  claim 6 , further configured to: 
 set initial settings for the operations, where the initial settings are the settings determined according to the process, and the process has been repeated for the plurality of successive measures;    display at least one of the dynamic performance measures in real-time; and    determine if changes made to the initial settings result in further optimal economic value being derived from the assets, by: 
 changing at least one of the initial settings;  
 viewing the displayed measure over time to learn if the at least one changed setting has positively impact the measure; and  
 if there is a positive impact on the measure, maintaining the at least one changed setting, and if not, returning the at least one changed setting to its initial setting.  
   
     
     
         8 . The computer system according to  claim 7 , further configured to: 
 repeat the process for the highest-priority dynamic performance measure and the plurality of successive measures to determine further settings;    compare the further settings to the current settings to determine any differences between the current settings and the further settings; and    change the current settings to the further settings if there are differences.    
     
     
         9 . The computer system according to  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is a process control system.  
     
     
         10 . A method of calculating economic value generated from the operations performed on a set of assets over a period of time as those operations change, the method comprising: 
 collecting and storing, in real-time, operational performance data about the assets in the set as operations are performed on the assets;    calculating and storing, in real-time, economic performance data from the collected operational performance data, where the economic performance data comprise dynamic performance measures;    determining a baseline value for each dynamic performance measure over the period of time; and    determining, for each measure, the difference between the current value of the measure and the baseline value of the measure.    
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein storing occurs in a process historian.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the process historian determines the baseline value for each dynamic performance measure over the period of time.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the process historian is part of a process control system, and collecting, calculating, and determining the difference all occur within the process control system.